There hasn’t really been anything to write about for a while. The war goes on, now passing 600 days. I remember thinking/hoping back in the early days that fighting would only last a handful of months, a peace treaty would be hammered out, and life in Ukraine could begin resuming some version of normalcy again. Instead, we’re starting to see the two year mark, with some pundits saying peace won’t be seen until late 2024 or sometime in 2025.

There continues to be slow progress by Ukraine in breaking through Russian fortifications in the south, and Ukraine continues to push back Russian attacks in the east. I won’t bore you with a lot of details; if you want to see some of those details, sites like the Institute for the Study of War produces daily reports and maps showing all the movements (like this).

I will note something from the last day that gives me hope. The other day, Ukraine used their newly-received ATACMS missiles to strike the airfield the Russians set up in Berdyansk, destroying nine helicopters, along with ground equipment and ammunition. I’ve been to Berdyansk twice; it was a place that Viktoria took us on one of our first dates. I’m looking forward to seeing it liberated almost as much as I’m looking forward to Mariupol’s liberation. This strike at a city well back from the front lines means that Ukraine is getting the tools it needs to really disrupt Russia’s war-making capabilities. (In general, Ukraine has made very productive use of all the arms and equipment they’ve been given; they just need more.)

(A picture of Berdyansk from my and Viktoria’s first trip there together. We had lunch at one of the cafes here.)